This Bus is a Safe Space - with Ian de Chastelain

<p>This conversation focuses on the real steps <strong>Stagecoach East</strong> is taking to make its buses safe spaces, especially for women and girls. </p><p><strong>Ian de Chastelain</strong>, Training Manager at Stagecoach East, shares with <strong>Katie Allen</strong> how a chance encounter with a flyer from Businesses Against Abuse led to a whole new direction for the organisation’s driver training and broader approach to community inclusion. </p><p>Topics include violence against women and girls, bystander intervention, psychological safety, and the practical realities of inclusion on public transport. </p><p>Ian explains how Stagecoach’s operational and cultural change was achieved not by top-down edict but through real employee involvement, collaborative development of training, and external partnerships, particularly with police and crisis services. </p><p>The discussion also highlights the challenges of embedding safeguarding and bystander intervention, why supporting employees is foundational to customer safety, and the ripple effect that a single, inclusive initiative can have across an entire industry. </p><p>The episode offers useful insight for anyone interested in workplace culture, DEI, leadership, and making tangible progress on issues of safety and inclusion.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>THREE KEY TAKEAWAYS</strong></p><p>A flyer in a coffee shop became the unlikely catalyst for Stagecoach East taking a stand on violence against women and girls, sparking a cross-team initiative that changed company-wide training and community partnerships.</p><p>The introduction of the &quot;This Bus is a Safe Place&quot; scheme proved that practical inclusion starts with giving frontline staff both training and authority, backed by supportive leadership,even when the answers create operational headaches.</p><p>The ripple effect of one company’s efforts led to national recognition and the rollout of bystander intervention andsafeguarding modules that are now shaping best practice across the UK bus industry.</p><p>Plus we mentioned the 5 D’s of bystander intervention (Delegate, Direct, Document, Distract, Delay) as developed by <strong>Right To Be</strong> and <strong>Green Dot</strong>.</p><p> </p><p><strong>REFLECTIVE QUESTION FOR LISTENERS</strong></p><p>When did you last notice an opportunity to challenge &quot;the way things are done&quot; in your workplace or community, and what stopped you, or pushed you, to take action?</p><p><br></p><p><strong>GUEST